Saturday, 24 December 2016

Christmas EveDecember 2011By the crib we are gathering,reflecting as much on the miracle of the shared endeavourto believe in this story of light from light, as on the nativity story itself...

Later the wine and the cake prolong our communionsome of us hanker for the remaining crumband linger, still for the last word of Christmas Eve conversationbefore splitting like stars broken from a constellation.

Rain washed cobblestones,half past midnight games of tag,as evergreens strung with a million lights,the silent stars, silver and remote as unheard bells.Crossing the piazza,the children wander and disperse,euphoric,Covent Garden suddenly theirs...the performers and the crowds as though magically vanished elsewhere,leaving it all for us,a shimmering fairground, finally unwrapped,

hide and seek, lights reflected like elusivesapphires on the gleaming stone darkground. Eyes in the night,the colour of Mary's dress.Losing count...Diving amongst barrows and folded stallsadolescent offspringvigorous as robust angelsleaping and flying out of hidden lairs.

Debating snowBow StreetLong Acre and DruryLane

One in the morning -gifts shorn of coverings as sheep of their woola flurry of paper and unfurling bow.Long awaited births.

Saturday, 12 November 2016

Historical note: On February 23, 1974, this painting was stolen from Kenwood House, and held for a ransom of over $1,000,000US in food to be distributed on the Caribbean island of Grenada, or else the painting would be destroyed by those who had stolen it.It was recovered by Scotland Yard in the cemetery of St Bartholomew-the-Great, in London's financial district, on May 7, 1974. Although the painting showed signs of dampness, it was otherwise undamaged.